2016...2017...2018...2019

Oops, I did it again?

Yes, it's been 3 years since my last blog post.  Blogging and I have just never really clicked.   

Much as changed over those 3 years, and it seems that I am now at a point where my blog, Facebook, a couple other web sites, and my home/business are all going to come together to become the new direction of my life.

So what's changed?

Well, my boys are grown up and living on their own.  It's been scary for this mom to watch all of this happen, but both are doing well and I'm very proud of them.

Because they moved out, space became available in the house, not that I was free to just fill it anyway I pleased.  After all, there's the other half with his thoughts and opinions too!  More on that in a bit.  Suffice to say, the room usage has changed rather drastically.  That's one part of what's changing the direction of my life.

Another factor at play - severe burnout from the job that I always (almost anyway) adored.  After 24 years of teaching Fashion Design classes in a 2-year degree program, I hit the mental/emotional brickwall of burnout.  Really needed to step away, at least for a little while, and rethink me and my future.

I've been experimenting with Facebook pages as outlets for some of my ideas on things to do, and on things to let go.  

I've set up a Lessons.com profile and am exploring the possibilities of teaching outside of the community college environment, where I will have more control.

Add it all up.  It's a lot.  So many things that I can do in the years ahead and I am excited.  It's a good feeling.

Much more to follow!

The Summer Ahead

Summer is almost here, as evidenced by the ugly 90s that have returned.  Actually, we hit them briefly back in February, and were very happy to have them gone until just this week.

Only 2 weeks of classes and finals and then it's time to get busy and use that extra time as completely as possible.  Be it garb or mundane, there's sewing waiting to happen!

Over the last few years, most of my sewing has been period garb, and an occasional tent.  I've also gotten very lucky with second-hand garb, so I have enough for even a really long event, 1-2 weeks, regardless of weather.  Of course, garb is for SCA use, so 5th century through 16th century.  Since I do teach a costume history class, I am also determined to have period pieces for the 17th-19th centuries.

And as a fashion design instructor, I should be wearing my own work.  It's time to get back on track with that.  I want to use the core/cluster wardrobe concept too.  I am figuring on stripping out the over-stuffed closet, building 2-3 clusters, and letting the rest go; then making pieces for my clusters, and replacing purchased pieces every time that new custom pieces enter the closet.

What do I want to sew?  Hehe!  The 20's are coming, the 20's are coming!  In the 20's, I want to dress in 20's.  Of course, with my extreme triangle shape, this will be quite challenging, but I've got period patterns to use, both original and reproduction, and I am going to make this work.  I'm too excited to do anything else!

I also want to add some 50's dresses to the wardrobe, though perhaps not so much with clusters in mind.  Those should be easier to fit, as long as I stick with full skirts.  

And as for this blog, well, with as little as I've done here in the last few years, it seems almost pointless.  However, I'd like to give it one more try, and get serious about project documentation to be posted here - yup, dress or project diaries.  If I don't do that, I'm not sure I have any reason to have a blog.

We'll have to see how all of this goes over this upcoming summer.  I'm ready.

Forever and a day...or two...

December 2012...

The last time that I actually posted on my own blog.

Shameful!

I'd have gotten back on here sooner, but I could not remember how to log in!  Google, of course, was no help at all.

But I'm back...and doing fun things, and looking forward to posting here again...

Meanwhile, I'm also on the BIG EVIL TIME SINK - Facebook.  Let me know if you want to find me there.

ME!

Thank you...

Oh my.  Too everyone who ever commented on any of my posts, thank you.  I had seen some of them, but was surprised tonight to find some comments, many months old, that I never saw.  I'm so sorry.

I'll have to check my settings and make sure that I'm getting e-mail notification when someone does comment, though I thought that I already was.  I don't know how I missed so many comments, and all so positive, even supportive.

I promise to try to do better...key word = try.

A post...

Old habits do stick around...and time slides by...and so I post again, after yet another long absence.  I'd love this blog to be more like the blogs that I follow, full of interesting and useful information.  Doesn't seem likely to happen.  My life just isn't working that way, not at the moment anyway.

And I'm struggling with creativity and with trying to prioritize so that the things that I have to do don't totally block out the things that I want to do.  Ahhh...life.

It's likely to get harder too.  I'm going back to work full-time, now that my boys are almost 16/18.  They need the experience of not being able to depend on mom, every moment of every day.  They need to learn to think more, to plan and to explore independence and responsibility.  I need a break and a paycheck.

I've worked full-time before, within their lifetimes - a little bit.  My part-time jobs - teaching and costume work - have sometimes had some intense hours.  There was a theatre season of full-time costume shop work, combined with the part-time teaching, and the carpooling of the 6th graders...that year almost did me in.  But time has passed.  Oldest drives.  Youngest has come a long ways in personal development and growth.  I think they can handle the change, in their own way. 

Overall, I suspect that the household is going to suffer...like it doesn't already?  Ha.  I'm no housekeeper or cook, never have been and likely never shall be, so things will probably only get worse!  I'll take the break anyway.  I need something that will eat enough of my free time, to make the remaining time seem more valuable, more critical, so that I'll focus more, accomplish more.  Oddly, yes, that's how I work.  I won't do a better job on the housework, but when I have less free time, I'll be more appreciative of it, more efficient in using it.

Ok.  Enough with the whining.  Have any of us been creative lately?  Most would say, yes, all the time, not just 'lately'.  But my creativity has been very dodgy these last couple of years.  I've gotten trapped in the world of FB and computer solitaire...and I don't quite know why.  When I do get to my studio, either I look around and leave, or maybe, just maybe, I pick up something to work on and for a brief moment, rediscover the pleasure of just doing.  If I could make enough of those moments happen in a row, I'd be back to the creative self that I seem to have misplaced.

 So, recent creativity....my last post showed a project that had gotten me all fired up.  Here's the finished item.

 

This is the finished snood, made from this cord:

I photographed it stuffed with my fake braids.  Haven't worn it yet, so don't have a picture of it on my head.  It was a bit time consuming to stitch each intersection, but it was fun and I have plans for doing at least one more.  I'm thinking a plain gold cord, or perhaps a gold kumihimo braid, with pearls at the intersections.  Hmmm...that sounds like fun, so maybe it's time for me to head out to the studio and get busy...have to tackle while inspiration is active!

 

So some days I just can't worry about "it's not period!"

When inspiration strikes, I have to go for it.

I wanted to test the snood from Simplicity 8735, a pseudo-Italian Ren.  I was looking for something like a gold soutache, when I came across this in the stash.









It is a fine cord that has been shaped into rose-like segments.  There is a finer green thread holding it together, and hinting at leaves for the roses.






Right now, it's pinned onto the pattern tissue.  It doesn't look like it will be very large, but I think that it will be gorgeous.  Period or not, I'm going to wear this!

November, December, January, February.....uh-oh....too long between posts again.

It's been a rough few months.  Had foot surgery back in December, which went well, but which required a healing process.  I'm a bit over 2/3 through the healing, based on the goal of being back in regular shoes at the 3 month mark.  I've been wearing men's extra-wide running shoes, so as to not irritate the healing foot, but of course they're too wide for the other foot, so it's been a challenge.

And then things got harder.  My mom suffered a stroke in January, from which we had every reason to expect a pretty good recovery.  Sadly, because of complications, we lost her 3 weeks ago.  She was too vibrant and excited about life to be gone so soon.  Between watching her struggle with recovery, and losing her after 3 weeks of that struggle, it's been a really hard winter.

So much to handle, helping Dad with Mom's stuff, her sewing room, yarn collection, and all of the knick-knacks and such.  We're getting there slowly, with tears here and there, and an occasional chuckle as objects and papers remind us of good moments.

I'm not old enough to not have my mom yet....I don't care what the numbers say.  She shouldn't be gone.

Brrr....ooh, cool!

Those who live outside of Arizona, especially the Phoenix area, may not be able to appreciate this, but it is so COOL to be able to say BRRRRRR........

And there is even a play on words in there!  Yeah!

Finally, the heat left, the nights cooled off, we got some rain, and when I went outside in jeans, tank top and sandals, it was actually kind of cold!  It's cold enough to be able to wear clothes!  hehehe Well, yes, we always do wear clothes, but oh, how nice to be able to put on anything I want and not roast!  Sweaters, jackets, long-sleeves, even stockings - all of those things that just hang ignored in the closet, or in the drawers, finally I get to wear them!

We're having a really nice day here!  It's kind of chilly!

And it worked!

At the end of a long day, the hair is coming loose and everything is looking pretty ragged, but here's what I came up with late last night.  I wore it to Coronation in the Kingdom of Atenveldt (Arizona), and it stayed put perfectly.  There is a 4-5" wide, wire comb inside the front edge, pointing towards the back inside the band and it never slipped a bit.  The bun I made seemed a bit too low at first, but I had to work the band around the bun, and then the bun seemed to help hold the band in place too.

Construction was pretty simple - a 3" wide band of buckrum, the length needed for the desired circumference.  I folded it in half lengthwise, then wired both edges with millinery wire.  Covered it with a strip of brocade, with the raw edges just floating loose inside.  The brocade was machine stitched onto the band.  The gold fabric I pinned and fitted to the band, so that it is smooth on the top and sides, with some tucks across the bottom, to form the little bit of snood-like bagging.  There is one row of pearls stitched in place right against the gold, and another will be added on the front edge.  

I started this around 7:30 last night, and finished hand-stitching the one row of pearls around 11pm.  That time period did include a trip to the fabric store to get the brocade.  I'm very happy with how it turned out, and am going to experiment with some variations, now that I have some ideas about how to proceed,  

These pictures aren't great, but then, I did have to do the point-the-camera-at-yourself trick.

Headdress on the fly - need an Italian option in a hurry!

A while back, I found a sweater in a resale shop.  I'd never wear it, but immediately I saw possibilities for re-purposing it with the foremost option being some sort of head-covering - cauls perhaps.

Now I'm making a fast decision on the first item to cut from it, something that will pass for Italian Renaissance, more or less.  And I need to slap it together this evening because I'm going to wear it tomorrow.  With my hair and lack of hair-handling skills, the simpler the better.

Ideas that I've found and like, include these:

The Elizabethan "Cloth of Gold" Escoffion pattern from Lynn McMasters, seen here:

http://www.lynnmcmasters.com/index.html

Well, you'll have to click on Patterns, and scroll down to find the pattern, probably 2/3 of the way down.

Eleanora of Toledo, c. 1562 by Bronzino.


The snood-like garment worn by Eleanora of Toledo.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crimsongriffin/3496487711/

This is a reproduction based on images as discussed on the page linked above.

Katherine B's intriguing headdress, discussed on her Flickr pages.

La donna gravida by Raphael, 1505-1506

Another snood-like piece.

http://juliesdressdiary.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

Embroidered caul.

These are pictures of the sweater, but it was not easy to photograph, so they're not very good.

 The fabric is a mix of a golden-yellow yarn - cotton or acrylic - I've no clue, together with a fine metallic (mylar probably) thread.  It reflects light somewhat and sometimes seems to sparkle.

Regrettably, I'm just no good at arranging images in blogspot/blogger, so this is about the best I ever manage.

Overall view of one side of sweater.

 Another closeup of the fabric.

 Trying to get even closer.

 Holding a single layer of the sweater fabric up, facing towards a window to try to show the little bit of open-work in the makeup of the fabric.

Another view with the window in the backgroune.  The light section on the left is the space between my thumb and fingers behind the fabric.

With as much fabric as the sweater has, I can probably do 2-3 pieces.  

1. A snood-like piece - smaller than the "Rosie the Riveter" pieces of the 20th C., maybe with a band as seen in the La donna gravida image, above.

2. A smaller piece, sized like the Eleanora of Toledo headdress, but less open-work than hers since I'd be starting with this knit fabric.

3. A piece like Katherine B's, above.

4.  A caul style, similar to the embroidered caul, above.  

There might be a bit too much similarity between some of these 4 options, but I've got the fabric with which to play, so why not try them all.

Pattern-wise, I think that I have Margo's Elizabethan Wardrobe Accessories, and there is a caul shown in that collection.  I'm considering buying Lynn McMaster's Gold Escoffian pattern.  I have some buckram Juliet caps that I could manipulate, not to mention plenty of buckram, crinoline and wire.

I've crocheted snoods before, but have not cut one from fabric, so I'll have to figure out what the best size and shape for the flat pattern would be.

Ok, I've talked myself through my options, right here on my blog again!  Sure helps to talk through my blog instead of talking to the walls!

A garb-ish sort of day...

No progress on the purple gown today.  Life sort of got in the way.  Had to get a new microwave this morning.  The old one worked ok, but the interior was just worn out.

And instead of sewing garb this afternoon, I guess you could say that I went shopping for garb.  Mistress Amy Marie MacCormack was cleaning out her garb closet, and I was lucky to be able to wear several pieces.  I'm so very excited!  Cool new garb to wear!  There's a purple velvet Italian, a pink jacquard linen Italian, a green linen Italian and a blue linen Flemish (Van der Weyden), all finished and ready to wear.  I will need to come up with a chemise or two, beyond what I already have as none are appropriate for Italians.  And I'll be making a set of sleeves or two.  Beyond that, it's just my hair and my footwear, so these are outfits that I will be able to use and enjoy!

I think that I have figured out how to finish the purple gown, and how to cut it better for the next one, but I'll have to work on it some more, before I can really tell much about it here.  Still, it's been quite the productive weekend.  Yeah!

88 Eyelets...

nope, these won't be hand-sewn; not given that I want to wear this gown in just 2 weeks!  It's really only 44 actual, finished lacing holes up the back of the gown, but I'm going over each one twice, hence the #88.  Even by machine, and having to line up carefully for the second pass on each eyelet, this is going to take a while.

Yup, I'm back, again.  Didn't mean to let a month get away from me, but shucks, every time I wake up it's Friday morning again, and I'm due in class to lecture for 2.75 hours.  That's how fast the weeks seem to by flying by!

And I'm back to working on garb.  Over the last few days, working at the dining room table while everyone else is gone, I've cut several new pieces.  The eyelets are the back lacing of a gown that will be somewhat like a cotehardie, and appropriate to wear under a sideless surcote.  I'm doing my test-run of the much altered pattern, Simplicity 8725, in a regular fabric, a dark purple/plum, rayon/linen blend.  I know that doing a muslin is a good idea with any new pattern, especially with my fitting issues, but I just don't want to put in the extra time right now.

As for modifying that pattern, it's partly for fitting me, and partly making it a much more accurate pattern for the purpose.  It will also use fabric more efficiently.  I had some ideas about how to change it from ready comments of several other people who have worked with it.

I cut the bodice portion pretty much as is, tapering out from my bodice size on the pattern, to the largest size in the hip area.  I did not cut the flare at the side seams as the pattern was drafted.  At the hip area, where it angled out for the flare, I just cut it straight down to the hem, so it's actually a lot like the patterns that one sees on sites like Robin Netherton's, a rectangle-based garment.  It hasn't been so carefully fitted through the bust, as it would be if I'd followed Robin's directions, but it's a start, and it's one that I can do without someone to pin me into the muslin.

I'm adding the fullness through wedges added at the side seams and CF/CB.  I'm not sure how full it will be when finished.

I've also cut 2 chemises from the La Fleur de Lyse  Medevial Romanesque pattern.  I'd cut the gown for the 1150 lady last winter, and was pretty happy with how it turned out, but with its V-neck, it really does need a chemise to look right, so I haven't worn it much.  I also cut outer gown/tunic for the 1060 Lady in a teal/turquoise linen.  It will have the wide sleeve and so will need an undergown as well as the chemise, so I may have one more piece to cut there.

I've cut sideless surcotes in several fabrics:  a woven-in-striped home dec fabric in dark plum, a dark brown velveteen, and a red woolen.  I'd like to cut one or two more, but can't decide on fabrics and need to finish gowns for those 3 anyway.  I am thinking of one parti-colored though.

And I cut several hoods too!  I wanted to experiment with the hood patterns that I've found on-line.  I drafted up patterns from Mistress Tangwystle's and Cynthia Virtue's diagrams, both from Cynthia's hoods article.  I also drafted up a pattern from one of I.Marc Carlson's diagrams.  Since I'm using up leftover bits of wool from other garments, I cut two in grey, two in navy and one in brown.  I have a couple of other patterns to try too, one from a Big 4 company, and one from DL designs, and plenty of the brown for those, as well as some luscious red, so I'll have hoods to wear and hoods for family or to sell.

Enough cutting, at least until I know how things are fitting.  Then I can see what I need to go with the new pieces, and what fits well enough to be worth cutting again.

I've been thinking about getting some of the other patterns in the La Fleur de Lyse line, and maybe a couple from Reconstructing History.  But it's not like buying patterns at JoAnn's for $.99 or $1.99.  These make a much bigger dent in the budget.  Once I see how the altered S8725 works, then I can figure out if I really need the RH cotehardie pattern or not.  If not, then why bother?  Then I could maybe get the Florentine patterns from RH and start another era in my costuming.

Not sure I need the men's pattern, but I'm curious.

Have this one, and once I figured out how it worked, I really do like it.  Truly, it's a lot like any of the rectangle-based gowns that you can find online, but it's worth while for the information that comes with the pattern.

Again, just curious.

 Could use this one for the stockings.

If my alterations to S8725 work out ok, then I may not need this one.

 I'm going to try using the pattern from S8725 for a chemise to go under the gown.  Again, if it works, then I may not need this, but I'm curious.  I might order this one anyway.











La Fleur de Lyse has accessories too, so I'll probably have to decide between that one and this one.

These last two go together and I like the look.  Once I'm caught up on my planned medieval stuff, I'd like to try these.  Of course, I'm also mapping out plans for some Tudor stuff from Margo Anderson's Tudor Lady's Wardrobe.  Don't think that I'm going to run out of sewing for a while...and I'm not even considering all of the mundane cutting and sewing waiting for me!  Ouch!

Ok, I think I'm rambling badly, and not getting any photos in here either, so I guess I should get back to the sewing room.

It rained! It really, ....

really rained!  I don't know the totals, and there wasn't much by way of hard rain, but it kept going long enough to make the world feel different this morning!  Yeah RAIN!